Ideal Recording format for SD production

Vincent Oliver · September 29th, 2009, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie Roberts

Thanks Vincent.

The whole shutter off/on thing is a strange thing to me. I just leave it on and leave it at 1/50 usually. I dont really understand why I need the option of turning it off!

Cheers

Jamie

I guess someone has a use for it especially when shooting with fully auto.

Marcus Durham · September 29th, 2009, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie Roberts

Thanks Vincent.

The whole shutter off/on thing is a strange thing to me. I just leave it on and leave it at 1/50 usually. I dont really understand why I need the option of turning it off!

Cheers

Jamie

Off if useful for low light situations. I was shooting a conference on Friday where I had the shutter off.

I was shooting 1080i at 50fps. The only way to get a 1/50 shutter speed in that format is to turn the shutter off.

It is confusing because on my B camera (a Z1) you can just select 1/50 as a shutter speed directly.

Simon Denny · September 29th, 2009, 02:47 AM

I'm doing some freelance work for a post production house and everything is going to SD DVD.

This is what I'm doing.
Shoot in 1080i Pal Sony EX1
Set up a SD FCP Seq and bring the footage into the FCP timeline. You will be asked to change settings to suit footage, select NO. You want to edit on the SD template. For some reason FCP re-scales footage better than Compressor...... I dont know why?

Edit the footage out. Make a quicktime of the edit and bring this into Compressor. select Best 90 min template, render out.

This, I do all day every day and things look good.

Cheers

I forgot to mention that FCP will insert a field change on the EX1 footage to bring this in line with the SD def settings. SD = lower field first

Heiner Boeck · September 29th, 2009, 08:48 AM

There are some many suggestions and solutions in this thread now.
For me, living in a Europen PAL-country and working with the EX3, it's getting a bit confusing.
So, here's a short & straight question. And, hopefully, somebody will give a short & straigt answer:

What's the real best setting for optimal SD-results?

Thank you loads!

Vincent Oliver · September 29th, 2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heiner Boeck

hopefully, somebody will give a short & straigt answer:

What's the real best setting for optimal SD-results?

Thank you loads!

Here it is in a nutshell, shoot 720 50P.

A better way would be to shoot a couple of minutes in each setting and write a DVD video disc and then decide for yourself which looks the best.

Good luck

David Arendt · September 29th, 2009, 02:33 PM

I am recording 1080i.

Concerning my workflow, I am reposting here what I have already posted in another forum as it might be interesting for this thread.

As I do a lot of processing, I want to eliminate multiple deinterlacing/reinterlacing generations. Therefore I now deinterlace everything to 1080p50 files, do all the editing and afterwards reinterlace. I also render at 1080p50. So if the final customer wants 50p, I give the files like they are. If he wants 25p, I throw every second frame. If he wants interlaced, I reinterlace. You need to have more space and convert source footage to 50p, but you have one workflow for all delivery formats.

Joe Lawry · September 30th, 2009, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Ash

I forgot to mention that FCP will insert a field change on the EX1 footage to bring this in line with the SD def settings. SD = lower field first

Err, FYI this actually depends on your codec.

DV/DVCPRO50=lower field first.
IMX50/MPEG50=upper field first (a great codec to go to when going to SD from XDCAM EX BTW)
PRORES=upper field first.

I've been experimenting when going to interlaced SD a lot recently. Normally i'm shooting progressive and go to progressive SD so haven't really had any problems transcoding down from 720 25p.

However when going from 1080i to interlaced SD i seemed to run into a lot of interlaced flickering under certain conditions, ugly.

This was shooting with the detail setting ON in my picture profile. I turned it OFF yesterday and did another small interview in 1080i and it came out better.

However after reading this thread i think i might give 720 50p a go. with the detail setting back ON. When detail was OFF the image was too soft for my liking (wanting the reality look here, hence needing SD interlaced).

David Heath · September 30th, 2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heiner Boeck

And, hopefully, somebody will give a short & straigt answer:

What's the real best setting for optimal SD-results?

If you want "smooth motion" - 720p/50
If you want "film-look" (or "jerky") motion - 1080p/25

That's if the end SD result is PAL - which in your case it will be. If it's to be NTSC, use the corresponding 60Hz based settings - 720p/60 and 1080p/30 respectively.

Vincent Oliver · October 1st, 2009, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Heath

If you want "smooth motion" - 720p/50
If you want "film-look" (or "jerky") motion - 1080p/25

Not sure of the logic behind 1080p/25, 720p/25 would be the better option (smaller frame size = less downscalling)

September 29th, 2009, 02:47 AM	#18
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	I'm doing some freelance work for a post production house and everything is going to SD DVD. This is what I'm doing. Shoot in 1080i Pal Sony EX1 Set up a SD FCP Seq and bring the footage into the FCP timeline. You will be asked to change settings to suit footage, select NO. You want to edit on the SD template. For some reason FCP re-scales footage better than Compressor...... I dont know why? Edit the footage out. Make a quicktime of the edit and bring this into Compressor. select Best 90 min template, render out. This, I do all day every day and things look good. Cheers I forgot to mention that FCP will insert a field change on the EX1 footage to bring this in line with the SD def settings. SD = lower field first

September 29th, 2009, 08:48 AM	#19
Heiner Boeck Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Varkaus Finland Posts: 33	There are some many suggestions and solutions in this thread now. For me, living in a Europen PAL-country and working with the EX3, it's getting a bit confusing. So, here's a short & straight question. And, hopefully, somebody will give a short & straigt answer: What's the real best setting for optimal SD-results? Thank you loads!

September 29th, 2009, 02:33 PM	#21
David Arendt Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bereldange, Luxembourg Posts: 41	I am recording 1080i. Concerning my workflow, I am reposting here what I have already posted in another forum as it might be interesting for this thread. As I do a lot of processing, I want to eliminate multiple deinterlacing/reinterlacing generations. Therefore I now deinterlace everything to 1080p50 files, do all the editing and afterwards reinterlace. I also render at 1080p50. So if the final customer wants 50p, I give the files like they are. If he wants 25p, I throw every second frame. If he wants interlaced, I reinterlace. You need to have more space and convert source footage to 50p, but you have one workflow for all delivery formats.